Ironing board structure



Aug. 25, 1936. c. A. RICH ET AL IRONING BOARD STRUCTURE Filed May 8, 1954 U/wmwr fl; Rich Jesse 14/. Richardson Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IRONING BOARD STRUCTURE Application May 8, 1934, Serial No. 724,50:

This invention relates to improvements in an ironing board of the collapsible type.

An object of the invention is to provide a collapsible ironing board constructed in such a manner as to secure and maintain a very decided rigidity when the board is extended for use.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ironing board with means for maintaining the desired rigidity, notwithstanding the occurrence of looseness in the parts due to wear resulting from ordinary usage.

A further object is to provide an ironing board with a simple automatic positive latch means'for maintaining the leg structure in an extended rigid position, which means serves also to pre clude accidental collapse of the leg structure during use.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved ironing board of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail fragmental view, lookingupwardly at the forward end of the Fig. ldevice.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken'on line 3--3 of Fig. 2. As disclosed in the accompanying drawing, 4 indicates aboard or table member having a reduced forward end 5 and a rear end 6. Upon the under side of the board, adjacent to the rear end, is fixed asuitable means for pivotally supporting the rear'legs 1 and 8. Said means may be in the form of opposed perforated brackets or lugs '9 and I0 which depend substantially vertically from the under side of the board. Any suitable means such as screws, rivets or the like I2 may be employed to hold the brackets or lugs in place. The legs are pivoted upon the lugs or brackets, as at 13.

Suitable means are provided for spreading or moving the rear legs outwardly as the leg structure is manipulated to set up the ironing board for use, while at the same time the various leg braces and struts are compressed and tensioned for the purpose of imparting rigidity thereto. Although but one form of such means is illustrated in the drawing, it is to be understood that various other arrangements'ofmeans for accomplishing these results may be employed, if desired. For example, suitable means for the purpose stated are to be found in our copending applications: Serial Number 677,633, filed June 26,

1933, and Serial Number 700,802, filed December be found in the copendin'g application'of Jesse W.

7 Claims. (oi. 3 -417) Richardson, Serial Number 630,561, filed August 26, 1932.

As disclosed herein, the rear ends of the rear leg braces or shaft members M and are pivoted upon the legs 1 and 8, respectively, by means of suitable pivot elements H5. The forward ends of the braces are pivoted upon a toggle element as indicated at I1 and I8. Movement of the toggle elementarcuately about its fixed pivots i9 and 28 results in movement of the legs about their pivots 9-l ll to and from the extended position disclosed in Fig. 1. Thus, when the handle 21 of the toggle element is grasped for moving the toggle element downwardly and forwardly about its pivots 19- 20, the rear leg braces will move forwardly and carry with them the rear legs I and 8. The legs and braces thereby are moved to the collapsed position, at which the legs, braces, and the toggle element are disposed closely against the under face of the table.

Attention is directed to the fact that the toggle element preferably has a snap movement caused by its passing from dead center while being moved to the operative or extended position of Fig. 1. Said snapmovement is efiected by means of the stabilizing rods 23 and 24 which are pivotally mounted upon the front leg 25 of the device at a point 26 which may conveniently be located near the free end of the front or third leg. Said third leg'may comprise two parts, as shown, each part having a pivotal mounting 21 upon a bracket 28 which is screwed, riveted, or otherwise secured to the under surface of the table. The pivoted ends of the leg parts preferably are cut with a taper, as at '29, so that they may have a secure and substantial abutment upon the table. It is to be noted that the pivots 21 are removed some little distance from the upper ends of the front leg elements, so that downward and rearward movement of the end 26 may be effectively arrested by the lever action between the points 21 and 29. Each of the stabilizing rods has its rearmost end provided with a suitable knob or abutment 30,

which abuts a part 31 in the region of the rear the rear leg braces l4 and I5. The upper ends of the leg spreaders are pivoted to the legs at points 34 and 35, which points may be at or below the pivotal mountings l3. Each leg spreader member has the lower end formed in accordance with the disclosure of Fig. 1. The lower end of each leg spreader preferably is turned rearwardly, as at 36, and in the region of the turn or bend each has formed therein an elongated slot 31 which is included in the bend. Each of the slots is adapted for reception of a stabilizing rod, the heads 39 of which are adapted to abut the rear portions of the ends 3!.

A perforated lug 39 extends from each leg spreader member in substantial perpendicularity thereto, and provides a means whereby the leg spreaders may be pivotally mounted upon the inner faces of the rear leg braces, as indicated at 49. It will be observed that the pivot 40 is spaced from the adjacent pivot |6.. Said pivot 40 may be referred to as a shiftable pivotal mounting for the lower end of the leg spreader, because the efiect of moving the brace I5 upwardly about its pivot 15, is to move upwardly also the pivotal mounting 49, to a position closer to the pivot 35; andlikewise, the similar shiftable pivot for the other spreader member 32 is moved upwardly closer to the pivot 34 when the brace I4 is moved upwardly about its own pivot l6. Since the pivots 34 and 35 are fixed relative to the legs of the device, the spreader members therefore are subjected to a longitudinal compressive strain; and inasmuch as the spreader members are stiff enough to resist bending, thelegs must move outwardly due to the compressive strain imposed upon the spreader members by the upward movement of the shiftable pivots above referred to, as the device is set up for use. From the foregoing, it should readily be understood that by grasping the handle Zl and moving it rearwardly through an arc toward the table 4, the shiftable pivotal connections 49 will move in a direction toward the pivots 34 and 35, whereby to increase the distance between the uppermost leg spreader pivots and the shiftable pivots :49, thereby setting up in the legspreaders the longitudinally compressive force which is translated into outward movement of the legs as explained above.

The length of the stablizing rods 23 and 24 is such that the knobs 39 thereof, upon rearward projection of the legs 1 and 8 by the action of handle 21, will contact the abutments 3| shortly before the toggle member attains a dead-center alignment with the braces! and I5, so that the handle assumes its final position, (as shown in Fig. 1), with a snap action. Thus the various parts of the structure are maintained under a bracket means 43.

limited strain when the device is in use, so as to insure a degree of rigidity precluding Wobbling of the structure.

In order to preclude the possibility of accidental collapse of the leg structure when the ironing board is in use, a novel form' of self-latching toggle structure is provided. As is clearly illustrated in the drawing, the toggle member comprises a pair of link members 4| and 42 which are pivoted at 19 and 29, respectively, upon the fixed At the ends opposite to the pivots, the links are connected by means of the handle 2|. The bolt or rod 44 which secures the handle in position passes through the links and through the braces l4 and I5, as shown in Fig.

2. The'pivotsyll and: i8 may be the opposite ends of rod 44;

releasable latch element 45. Said mounting means may be in the form of offset portions 46 having spaced perforate walls 4'! and 48 through which may slide the legs 49 and 59 of the movable latch element. The ends of the legs are adapted to engage the recesses or apertures 5i formed in a stationary latch element or latch plate 52 which is fixed to the under face of the table. The stationary latch element has inclined cam face portions 53 which automatically guide the latch ends 49 and 50 into their respective apertures 5i when the toggle element is moved into position past dead center, as hereinbefore explained, to set up the ironing board for use. The latch ends 49 and 59 are yieldingly urged toward the latching position by a pair of compression springs 54. As the movable latch ends strike the inclined cam faces, said ends are depressed, against the yielding resistance of the springs, until the ends engage the apertures 5I, whereupon the springs project the latch ends into the apertures and latch the toggle element automatically and positively against movement from the operative position of Fig. 1. The opposite ends of the springs are seated against the walls ll and the washers or seats 55, which latter are fixed upon the legs of the latch element 45. The construction disclosed provides for disposition of the springs in a protected position at which is precluded injury to the operators hands and to any garments which may hang down over the forward end of the ironing board. The handle 56 of the movable latch element may be integral with the legs 49-53, and said handle preferably is disposed parallel to and in close proximity with the toggle'handle 2| so that in grasping the toggle handle the operators hand will naturally and conveniently grasp also the latch handle 55, whereby to easily and quickly release the latch means when it is desired to collapse the ironing board.

The spring retaining portions '46 are easily formed by means of a simple stamping operation, and assembly of the latch means disclosed is a very simple operation-which is performed with a minimum of time and labor. By the use of the means of this invention, it is possible to reduce the past center movement of the toggle element without increasing the liability of the board to collapse during use, and by reducing the past center movement the effort required to collapse the leg structure is considerably reduced.

It is to be understood that other forms of automatic latching means may be employed to accomplish the above mentioned'desirable results.

What is claimed is: v

1. In a collapsible ironing board structure the combination of a table, table supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having pivotal connection with the table, handle means for moving the legs manually to the extended and collapsed positions, an engageable latch element mounted stationarily relative to the table, and a cooperative releasable latch element associated with the handle means for actuation simultaneously with actuation of the legmoving handle means, to release the latch means and permit free movement of the legs tothe "collapsed position.

2. In a collapsible ironing board structure the combination of a table, table supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having pivotal connection with the table, handle means for moving the legs manually to the extended and collapsed positions, an engageable latch element mounted stationarily relative to the table, and a cooperative releasable latch element associated with the handle means for actuation simultaneously with actuation of the leg-moving handle means, to release the latch means and permit free movement of the legs to the collapsed position, and means including a toggle device for placing the legs in a strained condition to impart rigidity thereto while the latch elements are engaged.

3. In a collapsible ironing board structure the combination of a table, table supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having pivotal connection with the table, handle means for moving the legs manually to the extended and collapsed positions, an engageable latch element mounted stationarily relative to the table, and a cooperative releasable latch element intimately associated with the handle means for actuation simultaneously with actuation of the leg-moving handle means, to release the latch means and permit free movement of the legs to the collapsed position, means including a toggle device for placing the legs in a strained condition to impart rigidity thereto while the latch elements are engaged, and means responding when the legs are extended, to increase the distance between the legs.

4. In a collapsible ironing board structure the combination of a table, table supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having pivotal connection with the table, means including a toggle device for placing the legs in a strained condition to impart rigidity thereto when the structure is extended for use, a toggle handle associated with the toggle device, a second handle disposed in close proximity with the toggle handle whereby both handles are operable substantially simultaneously with the use of one hand, and means associated with the second handle to latch the leg structure against movement.

5. In a collapsible ironing board structure the combination of a table, table supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having pivotal connection with the table, means including a toggle device for placing the legs in a strained condition to impart rigidity thereto when the structure is extended for use, a toggle handle associated with the toggle device, a second handle disposed parallel to and in close proximity with the toggle handle whereby both handles are operable substantially simultaneous- 1y with the use of one hand, and means associated with the second handle to latch the leg structure against movement.

6. In a collapsible ironing board structure the combination of a table, table supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having pivotal connection with the table, means including a toggle device for placing the legs in a strained condition to impart rigidity thereto when the structure is extended for use, a toggle handle associated with the toggle device, a second handle disposed in close proximity with the toggle handle whereby both handles are operable substantially simultaneously with the use of one hand, and means including a latch element associated with the second handle to latch the leg structure against movement.

'7. In a collapsible ironing board structure the combination of a table, table supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having pivotal connection with the table, means including a toggle device for placing the legs in a strained condition to impart rigidity thereto when the structure is extended for use, a toggle handle associated with the toggle device, a second handle disposed parallel to and in close proximity with the toggle handle whereby both handles are operable substantially simultaneously with the use of one hand, and means including a latch element associated with the second handle to latch the leg structure against movement.

CHESTER- A. RICH. JESSE W. RICHARDSON. 

